Summary

Rick and Mortyseason 8 is still a long way away, but there’s a perfect show to watch in the meantime.Rick and Mortyseason 8 has been confirmed, but it won’t be released until 2025. That long wait between seasons is likely because of the Hollywood strikes of 2023, but it still means one ofthe best adult animated showswon’t have a new season for quite a while. Given how popular and beloved the show is, and thetwist ending ofRick and Mortyseason 7, waiting a whole year to see the new season may seem unbearable.

Rick and Mortyhas become one of the most popular adult animated shows ever since it began in 2013, and there are a number of reasons for that. The show has a unique style of animation, and its structure of following a mad scientist and his grandson on misadventures through the galaxy helps every episode ofRick and Mortyfeel fresh.Rick and Mortyalso has a patented brand of dark humor that many viewers love, and one that has very few equals. Luckily, there’s one show that perfectly matches bothRick and Morty’s variety and its sense of humor, and it’s the perfect replacement.

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20 Best TV Shows Like Rick & Morty To Watch While Waiting For Season 8’s Return

If you love the sci-fi adventures between Rick and Morty on Adult Swim, you’re going to be glued to this mix of animated and live-action shows!

Smiling Friends Is Perfect To Watch While Waiting For Rick & Morty Season 8

Smiling Friendsmay be the perfectRick and Mortyreplacement because it matches so many of the things that makeRick and Mortygreat. It has varied animation styles, completely unpredictable, hyperactive, and often violent misadventures, and an unexpectedly sincere and earnest emotional core.Smiling Friendsfocuses on the relationship between Charlie and Pim and their work at a charity dedicated to making people smile, a concept that is as deceptively simple asRick and Morty’s, and one that allows for just as much creative freedom. The finale ofSmiling Friendsseason 2 highlights just how similar it is toRick and Morty.

Smiling Friendsseasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on Max.

Smiling Friends talk in the kitchen

InSmiling Friendsseason 2, episode 8, Charlie and Pim bring a snowman to life, inadvertently teach it the existential horror and inevitability of death, get into a property dispute with a Yeti, and end up celebrating how much they love their friendship and working together. It’s exactly the wild, unpredictable ride many ofthe bestRick and Mortyepisodesfeature, and though it’s often completely absurd along the way, it has just as much heart.There are very few shows that can accomplish everythingRick and Mortydoes so efficiently, andSmiling Friendsis one of them.

Why Smiling Friends Is So Underrated

ThoughSmiling Friendsis a very well received show - both seasons have an audience score over 90% onRotten Tomatoes- it hasn’t gained the same popularityRick and Mortyhas. A big reasonSmiling Friendsis relatively unheard of is because it comes from such strange beginnings, and caters to a new type of audience.Smiling Friendswas created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, two former YouTubers. Because of their origins as content creators,Smiling Friendsfeatures quite a bit of internet humor and pop culture.That madeSmiling Friendsquite popular with younger audiences, but it doesn’t always sit well with older viewers and critics.

Smiling Friends

Cast

In a colorful yet bizarre world, two employees at a small firm dedicated to its making its customers smile discover that their jobs are rarely as simple as they seem.

While it’s certainly unique in many ways,Smiling Friendshas also suffered from many of the problems common to adult animated shows. Animated shows geared towards mature audiences often become cult classics, but they usually struggle to find wide audiences. Many adults don’t see animation as a legitimate medium.Rick and Mortywas one of the few adult animated shows to break that streak and find a wide following, but it was the exception, not the rule. Though it’s not as popular,Smiling Friendsmay be the perfect way to pass the time untilRick and Mortyseason 8 is ready.

Smiling Friends

Rick and Morty

Rick and Morty is an animated science fiction series that follows the eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez and his impressionable grandson Morty Smith as they embark on perilous adventures across space and alternate dimensions. The show explores the impact of these exploits on Morty’s tumultuous family life and personal challenges.

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